


Not Alone

by Alys_Brauer



Series: Reclaimed [2]
Category: The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Angst, Comfort, Drama, M/M, Multi, Suggestions of Boffinshield, boffinshield - Freeform, thofur
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-26
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-05-23 08:58:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6111499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alys_Brauer/pseuds/Alys_Brauer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The entire line of Durin were idiots. It had taken Bofur along time to realize this, or rather admit it to himself (after all who wants to admit that they’ve pledged their life to a stubborn, proud, fool?), but there was no denying it now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Not Alone

**Author's Note:**

> A scene from [Unrequited](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3499640/chapters/7690871) that probably won’t get included because of Boffinshield reasons. I was just looking at BTS things and felt the need to write it. It echoes a scene from chapter 3 of [linddzz](http://tmblr.co/mG-dNFaKwCZ15f2FjES-WBQ)‘s [Mahrana](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3240779/chapters/7060271). 

It was painfully clear from the first sight of Kíli, followed by the elf Tauriel and his brother Fíli, that this was not going to go well. Unfortunately, Bofur was Thorin’s guard, and he really had no hope of stopping Kíli when he gets that look in his eye. The youngest Durin really is far too much like his uncle for it to be any good. Just as stubborn and headstrong, though he did have a much better sense of direction. Kíli’s tact, on the other hand, could use a bit of work.

Then again, so could Thorin’s.

As the three enter Thorin’s rooms, Bofur shifts, turning so he’s facing toward Thorin, rather than out. He has no wish to harm anyone, obviously, but it was his job to protect the king from any threats. He was quite familiar with how skilled Tauriel was, even without weapons. He catches her shifting her weight, her fingers flexing, and he tenses in response, readjusting his grip on his mattock.

 _‘Don’t do anythin’ stupid!’_ He pleads silently, knowing full well she can’t hear him. He just hopes she doesn’t try anything. The last thing he wants to do is use his weapon against her. As far as elves went, she wasn’t so bad, she’d even gone out of her way to save Kíli, and help them all out of Laketown when it had been set ablaze.

Although Tauriel doesn’t make any move on Thorin, Bofur doesn’t relax now that his guard is up.

When the atmosphere turns tense, he speaks up, hoping to at least defuse a little of it. “She got us all outa Laketown, when the dragon attacked.” His mouth snaps closed and he backs up when Thorin shoots a glare at him.

All right then, not helping it would seem. As much as he wishes he could tell Thorin that he was overreacting just a tad, he knows that while he and Thorin have become friends, he wasn’t that close to the king to contradict him. At least not in front of an elf.

Then again, maybe Thorin wasn’t overreacting all that much.

The words are familiar, if he listens hard enough. The Khuzdul flows from the elf, heavily accented and spoken with the smoothness of Sindarin, rather than the sharp edges of the secret languages of the dwarves.

That…that was not going to sit well. It was unclear who was the biggest fool in this situation, Kíli for teaching the elf their most sacred tongue, or Tauriel for actually speaking it to the King of Erebor. Or Kíli again for not actually explaining what he was teaching her!

And then they all had to go and make it worse. Mentioning Bilbo, even a vague reference, was probably the fastest way, other than having an elf in front of him speaking Khuzdul, to get Thorin irrational. Especially when his absence was used as a weapon.

 _‘Fools all around then,’_ he thinks to himself, his eyes flicking to Thorin.

If there had been any doubt about how badly this was going to go, it was quite clear now that there was no way this was going to end even close to decently at this point.

The ultimatum comes as a shock. Bofur’s hand tremble as they grip his mattock hard, and not for defensive purposes. That choice…Thorin was asking his nephew to tear himself in two. Love and family, the foundations of any dwarf, to live without one or the other would be the worst kind of torture one could imagine. ‘And here we both are doin’ it.’ The thought is unexpected, even though it is true. ‘He should know what he’s demandin’.’ Thorin knows how painful it is. And yet he still…

When Fíli leaves, Bofur steps forward and clears his throat. “I’m sure yeh already realize this. But that was a damned fool thing to do.”

Thorin doesn’t lift his head, doesn’t even acknowledge that Bofur has spoken.

But that has never kept Bofur quiet in the past.

“Yeh know damn well what yeh jest asked him t’ do. Even if he did teach her _khuzdul_ , which I’m not sayin’ was the right choice so don’t start growlin’ at me yet, he’s yehr nephew, yehr family. Yeh’ve jest betrayed him as much as he betrayed yeh. Jest because Bilbo-”

Thorin’s head snaps up, and he shoots a piercing glare at Bofur. “I would watch your next words carefully guard.” He doesn’t quite snarl it, but there is a darkness in his words that would have made Bofur shiver on any other occasion.

There is a brief memory of dark eyes and a crushing hand on this throat, squeezing the life out of him-

Bofur shakes his head against the memory. Thorin didn’t kill him then, and he certainly wasn’t going to kill him now. “Or what Thorin?” Bofur presses, walking closer to his king, his friend. “Are yeh goin’ t’ banish three people yeh care about in one hour? As I was sayin’, jest because Bilbo is gone doesn’t mean yeh have t’ make everyone else as miserable as yeh. It’s hard enough dealin’ with one loss, do yeh really want to drive them all away?”

Thorin sighs, his hand at last falling back to his lap. “I did not mean it. You heard me say it to Fíli.”

Shrugging, Bofur tilts his head, looking down at Thorin in his seat. “Aye I did. But I didn’t hear yeh say it to Kíli. He was a friend t’ us all Thorin, his name will be said, that’s all _I’m_ sayin’. Yeh can’t jest go banishin’ people for bringin’ him up. Punishin’ them either, and that includes yehrself.”

“Are you done?” Thorin sounds tired, and he looks even worse.

“Aye fehr now.”

Another sigh hisses from Thorin’s mouth, but he manages to pull himself up straight. “Good, I have work to do.”

Bofur shakes his head. “Of course yeh do, yeh always do Yehr Majesty. Jest make sure yeh don’t work so hard yeh ferget that yeh still have people who care about yeh out here. He wasn’t the only one.”

Their eyes meet for a long moment, and Thorin is the first to look away. “Get back to your post.”

Bofur bows and says nothing more.


End file.
